No matter which adjective you put in front of the word "children," it does not add to or take away from the importance or sacredness of each and every one of their lives. Syrian children, American children, preborn children – all their lives have value and deserve respect and protection. Yet it seems, to some, that there is a hierarchy to this value. And this mindset is lethal.

A few days ago former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, was having a discussion with her five-year-old grandson about possible war in Syria. She told the press that she explained to him that "hundreds of children" had been killed in Syria and that her defense of going into that country was that the killing was wrong – even though the dead children were not American.

The reports of this conversation led me to reflect on Pelosi's earlier statement that abortion is sacred, and the parallel horrified me beyond belief. Pelosi is politically, and perhaps morally, blind to this contradiction. Her grandson would not see this, but we must.

It is irrelevant to me how Pelosi votes on military action against Syria, because right here at home she sanctions a war on children that is beyond horrific – and she denies that it occurs.

The act of aborting a child in America has been sanitized, politicized, and neutered of all meaning. As American Life League tweeted, "Media has no problem showing dead Syrian children, but won't show images of aborted preborn children."

Exactly. And yet there is no difference in the horror of it, the sadness of it, or the cruelty that causes it. But rather than face this ugly act, America turns a blind eye.

As a result of the national parade of hypocrisy, those who ply the abortion trade have become much more adept in their ways. For example,

In discussing how low-income women can raise funds for an abortion, The National Network of Abortion Funds site encourages them to lie to people in their lives in order to get the money they need:

Are there people who might not help me cover the cost of an abortion, but would help me cover other costs? Am I comfortable lying to a friend or family member, telling them that I had an unexpectedly high electric bill or gas bill due to heating or A/C costs?

There is another website geared toward women considering abortion that advises them to forget the abortion, never telling anyone! Callous, inhumane, and unthinkable, of course, but then again, so is abortion!

By truthfully examining America's moral landscape, we can see that the situation is grim.

So what is the solution?

Pro-life leadership needs to batten down the hatches, get our collective act together, and focus on the challenge confronting us.

Nancy Pelosi is not a lone wolf in her perspective on dead children in Syria versus dead children in America; she is typical. How we change this requires a unified effort to ensure fair treatment of our own nation's children – both born and preborn. This is not an easy task, but neither is it impossible.

I strongly suggest that the LifeSiteNews headline that reads "NRLC [National Right to Life Committee] letter sparks debate among pro-life leaders on how to treat no-exceptions lawmakers" is a starting place.

In a war, there should never be military maneuvers that are confusing or divisive. The battle plan should be constructed with a definitive starting point, and the end game should be clearly understood by all the commanders before they present the plan to the troops.

In the pro-life battle, the end game is restoration of respect for human rights for every person from creation to death.

Our starting point, therefore, should be unanimous agreement on this principle. Once that is agreed upon, the fundamental directive is that there will never be a reason – politically or otherwise – to leave a child in harm's way.

This is not a politically pragmatic plan of war, but rather a strategy that is commensurate with the stated goal. Once we agree that this is our imperative, we won't read headlines about division, but rather headlines about strategic movement forward designed to exclude exceptions on the road to the common goal.

Frankly, whether the child resides in war-torn Syria or is a preborn individual growing in America, he is a human being who should be protected by society, defended by the government, and respected as a member of the human family.

Then and only then will we see national disdain for the murder of children, be it in Syria or in the United States of America.

Judie Brown

Judie Brown is president and co-founder of American Life League, the nation's largest grassroots pro-life educational organization... (more)

Judie Brown is president and co-founder of American Life League, the nation's largest grassroots pro-life educational organization.

She has served three terms as a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life in Rome. Daily Catholic cited her as one of the top 100 Catholics of the 20th century.

Judie has appeared on 20/20, 60 Minutes, Mother Angelica Live, The O'Reilly Factor, Good Morning America, Today, Oprah, and Larry King Live, as well as hundreds of other television and radio talk shows. Her comments regularly appear in major print media nationwide, and she has written numerous editorial pieces for magazines and newspapers, including The Washington Post and USA Today.

Judie is married to Paul A. Brown, and they have three children and nine grandchildren. She and her husband have been involved in the pro-life movement since 1969.